of the federal government’s constrained fiscal environment and the FAA’s need to reduce all avoidable

or unnecessary costs to the agency.”

NOAA has neither the facilities, nor the budget, nor the appropriate authority, nor the expertise to stand up or contract for a print-stock-sell operation. Additionally, we believe the private sector is better suited

to printing and selling charts -- and we look forward to seeing how smart entrepreneurs tackle new

opportunities in chart sales.

Is NOAA getting out of chart production altogether?

Absolutely not. While we regret that circumstances are such that the government will no longer print

lithograph charts, we are still the nautical chartmaker for U.S. coastal waters. Two companies will

continue to print “Print-on-Demand” charts under agreement with NOAA. (We are open to more

companies participating in the POD program.) We continue to improve NOAA electronic navigational

navigational charts (used in a variety of electronic charting systems). We are also testing a new product:

during a trial period from Oct 22, 2013 to Jan 22, 2014, we are making about a thousand nautical charts

available in printable PDF format for free download. We plan to issue a Federal Register Notice asking

for comments on continuing free public access to PDFs after the trial period.

What is the difference between a “lithograph” chart, a Print-on-Demand chart, and a PDF chart?

● The NOAA lithograph chart is the traditional paper chart. The federal government prints each

chart in large print runs at the time of a new edition, and keeps it in stock until purchased. After

a mariner buys a lithograph chart, they must make corrections by hand; this can entail hundreds

of corrections through many years (until the next edition).

● The Print-on-Demand chart is available from companies that have an agreement with NOAA.

POD charts contain corrections released in the weekly Notice to Mariners up to the actual date

of printing.

● The PDF* chart is a chart that may be viewed on screen or printed. The PDF chart, like the Print-on-Demand chart, depicts corrections released in the latest weekly Notice to Mariners at the time it is posted to our website. (*PDF is the Portable Document Format developed by Adobe Acrobat. The PDF “reader” can be downloaded free from get2.adobe.com/reader/)

Why do you offer different chart products?

Not everyone needs the same print quality; it depends on the chart’s intended use. We want to

maximize consumer choice, and allow the free market to meet the needs of non-SOLAS customers. In

addition, we think one of the most important features of a chart is that it is up to date, and we want to

Most nautical charts are available for free, as PDF downloads, for a trial period running from October 22,

2013 to January 22, 2014. We will issue a Federal Register Notice asking for comments on continuing

free public access to PDFs after the trial period.

The maximum price of POD charts is established in the business agreement between the POD

companies and NOAA. Within that price, NOAA collects $.50 per chart to offset the cost of managing the

POD program.

There was a price cap on the traditional lithograph charts as well, though most were sold at a

considerable discount to the list price.

You say that the lithograph alternatives ‒ the POD and PDF charts ‒ are constantly updated. Why do I

need an updated chart?

Coast Survey cartographers apply tens of thousands of changes to NOAA charts every year. Some

changes are minor, but many are critical to safe navigation. Those critical updates can include new

shoals, wrecks, and obstructions, and the latest changes to navigation aids. Shorelines are changing all

the time, due to natural forces, storms or infrastructure improvements. In years past, because issuing

paper charts is such a time-consuming process, NOAA would collect hundreds of changes to each chart

before issuing a new edition. In the system we are now deploying, we will change each chart as we receive the new data, and these changes will be available in updated charts every week. The electronic, raster, POD and PDF charts will all be updated at the same time.

How will I know when I need a new chart?

We will continue to issue new editions using the same criteria as we have in the past. We will issue new

editions when we have significant new information from sources like hydrographic surveys or shoreline

updates, an accumulation of many small changes, or a large number of notice-to-mariners updates.

These new editions will continue to be announced in Local Notice to Mariners and listed in the Dates of

Latest Editions. POD distributors will have them available for print as soon as they are issued, at the

same time digital editions are available.

I understand the safety factor -- mariners benefit from up-to-date charts -- but there is also the

convenience factor. Won’t boaters be inconvenienced?

There is no question that many boaters and tourists will miss the days when they could drop by a shop

to pick up a traditional nautical chart that was printed by the government. Stores offer more than

convenience… They are a valuable resource for local information, marine expertise, and friendship.

While the federal government will no longer print lithographic nautical charts, we are confident that the

private sector will step up and offer the public the same high level of service they've provided over the

decades.

Print-on-Demand nautical chart distributors have access to each one of our thousand nautical charts,

and they are required to make them all available for purchase. It is easy to order a POD chart online or

by telephone, and have the chart delivered to your door. They are even available on Amazon. You can

still look at our chart viewer to decide what chart you want, and then check our listings for chart

vendors.

NOAA currently has two POD suppliers: OceanGrafix and East View Geospatial. Both companies offer

purchasing over the internet, and are required to make good faith efforts to print and ship charts within

24 hours of receipt of an order. OceanGrafix has 37 retail locations in the U.S. (including Alabama,

NOAA would like to expand the availability of Print-on-Demand charts and encourages potential POD

partners to read more at Opportunities.

How can I be sure that my Print-on-Demand chart is up to NOAA standards?

NOAA-certified POD companies agree to adhere to stringent standards of quality and service, as specified by NOAA. They must sell on POD charts made from the most recent NOAA file, and they must perform quality control.

The product format itself ‒ the paper quality, size, and ink ‒ must be approved by NOAA. Anticipating

the loss of lithograph charts in April, NOAA will be consulting with POD companies to review product

standards, to determine if they can provide additional options for paper quality and chart size.

Certified POD companies have a contractual obligation to offer charts with a consistently high quality

print. Their charts are true to scale, with true colors. They are water-tolerant, UV-resistant, and durable

If you want to see true charting beauty, you should check out some of Coast Survey’s charts from the 1800s, when James Whistler (known for the iconic painting “Whistler’s Mother) and John Muir (founder of the Sierra Club) worked for us.

I would like to have additional information printed in the margins of my POD chart, or on the back, for

ready reference. Can I get the (CFR, tide tables, marina information, fishing regulations) printed on my

chart?

This type of information, or anything else for that matter, can be printed in the margins or back of the

chart if the printer thinks it adds value for their customers. NOAA does not specify, prepare, nor validate

this extra information.

What are the new opportunities for commercial entrepreneurs?

While businesses will no longer be able to purchase and resell NOAA nautical charts printed by the

government, we hope that entrepreneurs will look at new opportunities.One option is to become a certified NOAA POD distributor, either by partnering directly with NOAA or by working with currently certified distributors. NOAA requires that charts sold as NOAA charts (to meet SOLAS class carriage requirements) are up to date and meet NOAA standards for print quality. We manage this standard through a strong partnership program. POD charts produced by NOAA’s

commercial partners carry a special certification so the customer knows they are using a certified chart.

This allows POD partners to recoup the cost of the premium service they are providing to their

customers. In the coming days and weeks, we will be posting more details about the POD program at

Coast Survey Opportunities.

Other opportunities may be available through our free PDF charts. While anyone can download a PDF,

not everyone has the capability to print them at chart size. We fully expect that entrepreneurs will

consider new ventures for printing and distributing charts made from PDF files.

We anticipate future growth in the use of NOAA electronic navigational charts (NOAA ENC®) and raster

navigational charts (NOAA RNC®), which we continue to make available at no cost. Under RNC distributor agreements, entities may be certified to download, redistribute, repackage, or in some cases

reformat, official NOAA RNC® data, and have those RNCs retain their official status. Distributorships for NOAA ENCs are available for either exact copying and redistribution, or for “value added” products.